Page 30 - Composition in Convergence The Impact of New Media On

INTRODUCTION xxix

tion finds itself at the point of convergence, that is, a place where "di-
verse technologies and forms of media are coming together" (Fidler,
1997, p. 23) to evolve into a single way to communicate. Through
the processes of coevolution and convergence, technologies eventu-
ally find ways to coexist and mutually influence all systems.
In convergence, a gradual metamorphosis occurs and blends the
important qualities of one technological form with competing tech-
nologies. Over time, the technologies involved either adapt or propa-
gate into new forms. If the technologies in question do not adapt,
generally they wither and die.
Because it appears as though networked writing and writing
assessment are at a critical point in their mutual development,
compositionists must watch how the two technologies adapt in
the near future. If current writing assessment practices do not
adapt more quickly to networked environments, it stands to rea-
son that these practices and discourse will most likely cease to ex-
ist as a legitimate form to discuss student work. Similarly, if
networked writing instruction does not accommodate some rec-
ognized form of assessment, it too will fade from Composition's
culture because of a lack of institutional and financial support.
Given the current social, political, and economic conditions sur-
rounding higher education (and K-12 education as well), few insti-
tutions will support or adopt one of these technologies—or a
blending of the two—without just cause. This is why Composition
appears to be headed for some important choices in the convergence
process. The steps taken in the next few years in networked writing
instruction and in writing assessment, in all likelihood, will affect
Composition's value as a program of study inside the academy.
Recently, Cynthia Selfe and Kathleen Blake Yancey, respectively,
put forward the possible transformations in computer-mediated
writing instruction and assessment practices (Selfe, 1999; Yancey,
1999). In separate articles published concurrently, these two schol-
ars recognized the influence of technology on various literacy prac-
tices and the awareness that compositionists must develop to move
ahead in our pedagogical practices. Taken together, Selfe's and
Yancey's articles suggest that Composition has begun to acknowl-
edge the convergence that has been creeping up on the field over the
last several years. Only now, as we are in the middle of a second
round of convergence, can researchers provide us with the lan-
guage for what has been permeating our culture. Yancey (1999)